7Chapter 9- Old faces
Angelica sighed. She was leaning against the door. She had eavesdropped on Jack and Arabella's conversation. She didn't know what to do now; she was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
-X-O-X-
After a long thinking session; Angelica had finally made up her mind.
She went out the cabin. Quietness occupied the deck. She could even hear the wind softly playing with the waves. It was almost midnight and no man had yet returned. They were probably still out painting the town red.
That only hardened her plan.
She walked towards the gangplank quickly, knowing that what she was looking for was no longer onboard the ship.
"Miss Angelica," someone called with surprise and a little hint of gladness in the voice, "oh am I glad to see you."
"Mr Gibbs," she said with a little gladness of her own, "have you by any chance seen jack?"
Gibbs narrowed his eyes, "uh…I thought he might be…with you," it came out more as a question.
Angelica panicked. Gibbs was of no use. Jack's only closest friend didn't know about his whereabouts.
Where could he have disappeared to?
In-between the panics, an idea popped up in her mind. She quickly ran to their cabin. She entered and hastily rifled through things: the closet, drawers, on the bed, under the bed.
She couldn't find it.
She stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips feeling somewhat defeated.
She sighed, "Where could it be?"
He knew jack would not have had it because it didn't work for him anymore.
Then in candle's dim illumination, she noticed a small wooden box sitting in the corner. Yes, that would be the right place to check, she thought. But the last thing she knew was her tripping on the silk sheets she threw off the bed earlier, crashing into a small chair which tempted the table to topple over, sending all the contents that sat on it falling to the floor in a clutter.
All she heard where groans escaping her.
She stood up slowly and carefully to not inflict any pain on her sore. Then as she was examining her arm; there it was; the compass. Safely protected by miscellaneous papers and maps.
A smirk crawled on her lips. She went and picked it up, not wasting any time to open it.
It spun uncontrollably, and then came to the awaited halt.
-X-O-X-
Angelica followed the compass' direction which seemed to lead her out of town. With every step; fire torches lessened until there were no more but she was very thankful to the moonlight.
Twists and turns, lefts and rights; that was how the compass drove her. She didn't take note of her surroundings, her eyes were glued to the compass but she knew by the scent the wind carried of green vegetation and the birds' nocturnal warbles; she was deep in Cuba's forest.
She didn't care about all that, all she wanted was to find jack.
Sounds of crashing water could be heard in a distance. In just a few minutes, she stood before a small waterfall.
She looked to the compass; it pointed a little bit to the right. She turned her eyes to that direction. A wooden bridge dangled across to another cliff. The bridge looked old and damaged; it seemed like nobody used it any more.
If that was so then, why did the compass lead her there?
Her question was answered by something sitting on the edge of the opposite cliff. She squinted harder; it was a 'someone' actually. It was jack!
Her heart beat faster; panic.
What was he doing there? Why was he there? What was he trying to do?
So many questions.
"Jack," she called loudly.
No response.
"Jack," she called again.
"Angelica?" she heard him respond.
"Yes jack, it's me. Stay right there, I am coming."
By the sound of his voice, she knew that he was heavily drank. She couldn't possibly let him cross that damaged bridge in that condition.
"I am coming, Angelica," he shouted back; his voice chock-full of desperation. It seemed as if Angelica's command for him to stay where he was, was swallowed up by the noisy waterfall with the long distance between the two cliffs being its ally.
Angelica saw the bridge slightly swaying side to side. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw jack staggering towards her.
"No, jack, stop where you are," she shouted, "please jack."
The only response she got was the sound of wood break and a loud cry.
Oh no.
Angelica automatically ran towards jack, completely forgetting about the bridge's poor condition.
Her face was filled with horror as she saw jack dangling between the places the wood must have been. She had to pull him up but she didn't have that type of strength and adding the condition he was in, it made the situation much worse.
She looked down the bridge, it was like a thousand meters down there. She could make out a stream. She wondered what could be lurking in there: rocks or much worse. She had to pull him.
"Love? It's really you," jack said happily, looking like a psychotic person. It was like he didn't even consider the hard pickle he was in.
"Yes, yes, it's me jack. We need to get you out of here. Now i am going to need your help. When I pull you, you also pull yourself up, alright?"
After a few seconds of hard pulling, the two went crashing on the bridge. Angelica was panting hard. She then noticed a jack only a few breaths away from her face.
"It's really you," he said.
Angelica just quirked an eyebrow. He was completely insane.
-X-O-X-
Angelica was sitting up in bed. Tiredness weighed on her shoulders. With what happened last night; pulling jack up from that bridge, what she went through just trying to take jack back to the pearl and just to get him into bed; to have some rest. She had to even put the captain hat on because jack hadn't yet woken up from last night and it was almost sunset.
She felt hurt and guilt for the state jack was in last night. He behaved like a person suffering from psychosis and it was because of her. She hadn't had any sleep last night because of his recurrent nightmares and they all involved her, knowing from him talking in his sleep. It was all her fault but what was she expected to do after seeing the man she loves, kissing another woman right in front of her? What she did was something every woman would have done instead of wishing a slow painful death on the other female. And just to say…. that was not her idea, at all.
Her thoughts were disrupted by jack's stir. She looked at him sadly but more hurt and hate for herself after she noticed a deep gash on his arm. Did she do that? A tear strolled down to her chin when she remembered the time she did that. She hesistantly reached her hand to touch it. Softly and slowly; she trailed her hand around it; it trembling.
"I am-I am so sorry, jack," she sobbed.
Jack stirred again but that time waking up.
They both looked at each other deep in the eyes.
Hurt. Anger. Remorse. love.
Jack broke the eye contact and looked at the huge gash on his arm.
"I am very sorry, jack," Angelica said but jack was still looking at the wound.
"Jack, please look at me."
He did so.
"I am very sorry, i-I didn't have to do that. It was just- just too much. I was not in my right mi-"
"Angelica stop," he interrupted, "i am the one who should be sorry….but I promise none of what happened was my wanting, Angelica. I-i-I wanted to stop it but I couldn't, not that I wouldn't, I couldn't. It felt as if something was holding me back; restricting my control over my body. I know you think it's crazy but it's the only truth. That's why i-i…i am going to respect any decision you'll make."
Angelica sighed and cleared her throat, "…..seeing you with that woman, doing what you were doing just… broke me into pieces, I felt resentment towards the both of you….especially you; jack. I felt deceived and toyed with. You meet your…I don't know if she was your ex-lover….and you kiss right in front of me, that's what I thought until I heard the conversation you two had."
Jack looked at her with his eyes teeming with surprise.
"Did you really mean that?" she asked.
"Aye…yes…of course, every word, love. I don't care if you believe me or not but I love you, angelica and you're the only woman I want to…probably spend the rest of my days… with."
Angelica melted inside. Those three words; ¡dios mío! Especially coming from his mouth.
"I already made my decision a few hours ago. I will not make that goddess think am weak."
"What does that mean?"
"Let's pretend this never happened."
Jack smiled helplessly. He felt the walls that built around him and the shackles that bound him break.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too."
They slowly leaned in; their lips meeting in a kiss. It was sweet and tender but turned into a more hungry kiss; full of passion, as it went on.
"And you should make sure to put distance between you and your ex-lovers," she added in-between the kiss.
"Her and I weren't even a thing," he replied and kissed her.
"Then why did she…?" her question was cut short by jack trailing his hand up her thigh; she just had to moan.
"I don't know," he answered.
Her moans only increased jack's desire. It was sure a long time since he had her; since they had each other.
Then the door burst open, "Miss Angelica we have just expected some visitors…." He paused after seeing what was happening.
Jack growled. Gibbs. It always had to be Gibbs! They were nearly there but Gibbs just had to ruin everything.
"Uh….I-I will be on deck," he announced quickly and ran out of the room.
"We should probably go and see who these visitors are ," Angelica suggested.
"No love, they are not even important, I know it. I can feel it."
"They might be."
Jack sighed in defeat, "We will have it your way then."
-X-O-X-
Jack an Angelica arrived on deck and saw Gibbs talking to some people; familiar ones at that. He couldn't help but wear a smirk.
"I never thought you would miss me already, William," he said.
"It's captain now. I have a ship, jack," he pointed to the new and improved Flying Dutchman anchored next to the pearl.
"Likewise. You're onboard it."
"Haven't changed at all," Will mutter to himself.
"Ah, Lizzie darling," jack noticed Elizabeth.
"Hello jack," she greeted.
"Miss me already?" he asked the same question.
Will just rolled her eyes.
"Not even a little," she answered.
Jack pouted, "That's hush."
"It just so happens to be coincidence that we found you here. We were on our way to shipwreck cove to deal with some issues concerning the 'king of the brethren court', we spotted the pearl and we just wanted to know what new trouble you've gotten yourself in."
"Oh, sure," he said.
"Uh…jack, are these the lovesick whelp and the damsel in distress?" Angelica asked, standing beside him.
"I see you've been….talking good about us," will said sarcastically.
"Aye love, 'tis them."
" So tell me jack, where you headed?" will asked.
"Uh…join me in the chartroom," he replied.
-X-O-X-
"Am on quest to find some items because some goddess wants revenge on me for a key that i supposedly stole," jack informed.
Surprise was what was written on will and Elizabeth's faces.
"The world won't just leave you alone, will it?"
"I guess not," jack answered.
"But I thought these…curses…things… were all broken after the trident was broken," will said.
"It's not a curse, William." Jack replied.
"Poseidon's trident was broken?" Angelica asked, looking at jack.
"Jack sighed, "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."
"You're making it sound like a burden."
"It sort of is."
"It wouldn't be if you hadn't left me on that island…to die."
"You just had to bring that up."
"It was going to be brought up at some point."
"At some point, not now. And the trident was broken after you got off that island so just blame your lack of good sources of information, not me."
Angelica death glared at him.
Jack on the other hand wore a smirk. They both knew that he had won.
Will cleared his throat to gain their attention.
They both looked at him in unison.
"You haven't really introduced us, jack," will pointed out.
"Aye...that. Angelica, love, meet William; the new and improved captain of the…again new and improved flying Dutchman and Elizabeth turner; king of the brethren court and pirate lord of the south china sea and William and Elizabeth meet Angelica teach, daughter of Blackbeard and the rightful owner of the queen Anne's revenge which carina unlawfully inherited," he introduced.
They all looked at him with a 'what was that?' look.
"It is the truth, innit?" Jack asked the two turners.
Despite that, they passed their greetings.
"I think I am up for some adventure," will said out of the blue, "I hope the feeling is mutual, Elizabeth."
"As long as it doesn't leave you bound to a ship for eternity, then am in and I really need to get my sea legs back," she answered.
Jack smirked at that. The three of them, back on another adventure.